Overview

• On August 15, a dog walker in Ōgimachi Park reported a hand-like object, leading officers to uncover a female newborn’s body partially buried in soil.
• Osaka Prefectural Police arrested 23-year-old part-time worker Hagito Natsuki on August 16 at Sonezaki Police Station on suspicion of abandoning a corpse.
• Hagito admitted that she dug a hole around August 12, placed the newborn inside and covered it with soil.
• Investigators found the body with the umbilical cord and placenta still attached and no obvious external injuries, and are conducting forensic tests.
• The case is being prosecuted under corpse-abandonment laws, with authorities considering maternal circumstances and child-welfare implications as the inquiry continues.